A Snap in Time

Chapter 12 (Marinette)

Marinette had met up with Luka the day following their argument. They had patrol organised and neither of them were willing to put Paris' safety on the line due to their teenage issues. Their usual playful banter was at a null as they jumped from rooftop to rooftop, keeping their eyes open for any changes.

"I want to apologise," Luka was first to speak as they settled down on the top of Notre Dame.

Marinette turned her head to look at her superhero boyfriend, letting the silence linger so he could speak.

"I was out of order for what I said, I was just scared about you getting hurt." He picked up a rogue stone next to him and passed it between his hands. Luka liked to hold things when he was nervous, most of the time it would be his guitar. It was an interesting trait, and Marinette had always found it alluring. His hands were magic, not in a lurid way, but in a creative one.

"I know, I'm sorry too," she sighed, "I shouldn't have been so snappy."

"Do you think we rushed into this?"

Marinette looked at her partner and her eyebrows creased. She was shocked he said that, at the end of the day he was the one that wanted the relationship, until he asked her out on a date she hadn't really considered it.

"I really don't know." She brought her legs into her body, and crossed her arms over her knees, placing her head upon them and looking out over Paris. "You're my best friend, you have been for so long, it just seemed like a natural progression." She shrugged.

"That doesn't answer my question, Marinette. I love you. You know I do, I've been open and honest about that since the day we revealed. Knowing you were Ladybug, it made me love you more."

Marinette smiled at Luka. He was right. He had always been open and honest about his feelings, always telling the truth, but in her gut she just couldn't say it back. She was only fifteen, there was a lot more of her life to live before she committed to someone in that way. Love was such a powerful word.

"I can't say that, Luka, you know I can't, but that doesn't mean I don't adore you, we have been through so much together. But I just don't feel myself at the moment. I can't really explain it."

"Please try, for me!" Luka turned and took her hands in his own, comforting her the way he had many times over the past year.

She took a deep breath and continued looking over at the Paris skyline, how can she put into words how she's feeling?

"I don't quite get how I feel. It's as though I'm finally understanding myself."

"What does that even mean?"

Marinette turned to face Luka, looking at the worry in his eyes. For the first time since they'd got together she hated the adoration he had for her, she didn't deserve it. She was certain there was someone more worthy of him out there.

"I woke up yesterday morning and decided to change my outfit. I'm set in my ways Luka, I don't just change."

"Marinette, there's nothing wrong with wanting a change of clothing. The outfit looked nice, there's nothing to worry about, you're making a big deal over nothing."

"It's not nothing though is it? The lucky charm, for example. I've never had a lucky charm like that before. It was so obscure yet the answer was so easy. Usually, I just get a box, or a net, or I don't know ... a ... a ...hammer! I don't get an object to make a plan, you are the one that makes the plan. We try and try and try, until we find the correct logic."

Luka clenched his jaw, and she knew exactly what was going to come next.

"It was him, wasn't it?" The words came out his mouth like venom. The jealousy and possessiveness laced each of the words, shocking her to the core. This wasn't Luka, this wasn't her Luka!

"Can we forget about him for the moment, and concentrate on me?" Marinette demanded, "I feel like I'm losing who I am, like I'm having an outer body experience or something."

Luka's look quickly changed as he pulled her towards him, stroking one hand in her hair. Her hair? She reached up to the back of her head and noticed her usual ponytail wasn't there, instead her hair had been separated into two pigtails. How old was she? Four.

"My hair? Why has my hair changed? Luka, I'm freaking out!"

He held her tighter, rocking her side to side as he calmed her down with his humming. Her eyes waived before closing, losing herself in his familiar embrace. Luka could always calm her, he was like a cat's purring - her eyes shot open again. She needed to stop thinking about cats!

"You know Sass told me yesterday that I'm not actually meant to be your partner."

"Do you believe him?" She was still held tightly in his arms and couldn't see his face. Her heart was beating rapidly and she wished the suits wouldn't confine his heartbeat. She wanted to know if this conversation was having as much an effect on him as it was her.

"No, I believe in choice. Everything can work if you give it a chance."

Maybe he was right, maybe they worked well because they wanted to. After all, Violette Papillon hadn't stolen their Miraculous' yet, something must be working right.

"What are we going to do about Chat Noir?" Marinette asked, finally moving away from Luka's embrace and looking at his reaction to her question.

"Nothing," the comment was so matter of fact, Luka's face didn't even break a little, "as long as he doesn't interfere, everything will be fine. Everything will be the way it's meant to be. I don't know how he got here, but hopefully he'll go back to where he came from soon."

Marinette nodded and attempted to smile back at Luka. She didn't want Chat Noir to go, on the contrary she wanted him to stay. She wanted to work with him to see how powerful creation and destruction really were together, to see how they work together. Her curiosity for the boy in black kept coming back into her mind. Why? She didn't know, but something was telling her to ask questions. She needed to find Master Fu.

"Did you hear about Gabriel Agreste?" Luka said, standing up and reaching out a hand to Marinette. It was getting close to sunset and they needed to get home.

"Yeah, I can't believe after fourteen years they've found his body. Any news about his son?"

"None yet, but I'm sure now they've found one. It won't be long until they find the other."